Candy and Coin
by RainSpell
Summary: There was nothing Gino enjoyed more than coming home after a long day and meeting his girlfriend in the CommuNet. Her name? Lemonade Candy. GinAka. One-shot. A Spell story.


**A/N:** I took some liberty and gave Ginoza a CommuField name, since it was never revealed in the anime. Written for shipping week at Caesar's Palace. Prompt: Cyber relationship

* * *

 _Lemonade_Candy is now online._

[To: Lemonade _Candy] Hey stranger! Where've you been?

[From: Lemonade_Candy] Hi! Sorry, I've been working... But I'm free now, finally. Kiki gifted me some stuff for my CommuField, wanna come see?

[To: Lemonade_Candy] Working? But didn't you _just_ start your job? And that's so nice of her! She's pretty skilled in interior decorating; I'd love to go check it out.

 _Teleport request sent to: Lemonade_Candy._

 _Teleport request accepted. Teleporting to: Lemonade_Candy._

"Coin!" Ginoza broke into a smile as he heard the cheerful greeting, though he couldn't yet see his (girl)friend. A moment later, a sunny, colorful yard materialized in front of him, and with it a jellyfish-esque avatar who was twirling around excitedly. Gino stumbled a little as he landed, which was an odd thing to watch seeing as his avatar was simply an American dime.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hopping around the CommuNet." He groused, though his frown quickly flipped into a wide grin. "It's been while, hasn't it? It's good to see you again, Candy." He said, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

"You too, Coin. Now come on!" She urged, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him towards the cozy looking cottage that sat on the lakeshore. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and he laughed as they blew past the wildflowers. He always felt light-hearted around Candy, something that he had never been able to achieve in the real world. He squeezed her hand and flashed her a grin as they neared, slowing down to catch their breaths. It was times like these when he was glad that he had invested in a pair of white-gloved hands to add onto his avatar. He still didn't have limbs – and didn't plan on getting any – but according to Candy the disembodiment hands actually suited him quite well. And that was good enough for him. Better for his wallet, too.

Ginoza followed his friend into the living room and spun around slowly, his detective's eyes taking in every detail. "Wow, Kiki really outdid herself this time." He remarked, finally looking at the jellyfish girl.

"We've known each other for…" She hesitated, casting an apologetic look at him. Ginoza gave an understanding smile in return. While they had known each other for about a year now, both parties were still cautious about revealing real life information about themselves, and even more cautious when speaking of other people. It was still the internet, after all.

"Well, for a long time." She finished. "This is actually an adaption of my ideas back then. There was a time where my friends and I were hooked on interior design, you see. Kiki just never stopped being obsessed with it." She laughed, plopping herself down on the light gray sofa. "Winter is my favorite season, you see, so most of the designs I cooked up revolved around that." Ginoza followed her lead and sat down next to her, nodding along to her story.

"If this is winter, then I think it'd be my favorite season too." He remarked. The overall atmosphere of the whole house was warm and cozy, from the false fireplace to the yellow lighting to the wooden flooring. Silver, gray, and blue accents were scattered around the room like tendrils of frost of ice. It really was a pleasing balance. The best part, in Ginoza's opinion, was the fact that the house seemed lived in. It was the cups on the table, a sweater draped over a chair, the little details that made the house a home. It reminded him of happier times, and was a vast improvement over his dark, stale, and empty apartment in real life.

They had been sitting in comfortable silence for a few minutes, lost in their thoughts. At one point, Candy had shifted her position to lean up against Ginoza. Her weight, conveyed through the body sensors, was comfortable and familiar. Somehow, though the only thing she could see was his round, flat avatar, she never failed to find his shoulder.

"Coin?"

"Hmm?"

"I wish this was real life." Ginoza didn't say anything at first, instead leaning his head on hers. It wasn't the first time the subject had been brought up. They were quite the popular couple when they chose to meander through the public servers together on their version of a date. No one really seemed to believe that they didn't know each other in real life. But that was the problem.

"If you met me in real life, I don't think you'd like me very much." He said quietly. "I'm…I'm not like this at all."

"I don't believe that, Coin. I've known you for a year now, and this is the real you. No one can keep an act up for that long without slipping at least a little, somewhere or sometime." She said firmly, looking up at him with a soft expression.

Ginoza shrugged unhappily. As sure as Candy was of his 'true nature', Gino was just as certain that this was the closest that he was going to get to providing Masaoka with a grandchild. Being the Senior Inspector as he was, there was always work to be done, and no time at all to go out on dates. And that was assuming there was actually someone who wanted to spent time to get to know him. He knew that he was a tough nut to crack; it's what keeps him afloat.

"A person like you and person like me wouldn't make a good match." He mumbled into her hair. She sighed but nestled closer. "Yet here we are." She whispered, and laced her fingers with his. "You bring out the best in me, Candy. But I don't think that would be enough." He whispered back. He brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."

 _~s~_

Two weeks later, Division 1 stumbled onto the Tailsman case. The Enforcers were very confused as to why, for the rest of week, their two Inspectors' interactions with each other were extremely formal and stilted. Friday evening, when Tsunemori dropped off the last of her reports on Ginoza's desk, she pressed a sticky note onto the top and turned to leave. Ginoza frowned slightly, but when he picked it up to read it the pricking in his eyes made him glad that he was alone.

" _I still see you in there, Coin."_

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 **A/N:** Okay, so I know Gino seems odd, but I figured that the mask of anonymity he gets from the internet would enable him to shed his insecurities, since most of them stem from the fact that his father is a latent criminal. I dunno. Tell me what you guys think!


End file.
